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Member Reviews

This book was a page-turner and an easy read. There were a lot of twists and turns along the way, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. The different POVs of the accountant, the mobster, the deputy sheriff, and Ryan added a lot of layers to the book and it was interesting to see how their lives were intersected with each other. There's a LOT that is going on in each chapter, and it comes together in the end really well. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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If Something Happens to Me
Alex Finlay
Pub: 5/28/24
4.5☆

Ok, I loved this one! It was fun, fast, and a total bingefest.

If Something Happens to Me was exactly the type of thriller/mystery I crave. It was a twisty and addicting story that completely sucked me and kept me totally guessing (and second guessing) to the very end. There’s multiple POV’s and a lot going on with this quick moving plot but Finlay skills weaves everything together while keeping you on the edge of your seat. The writing, the characters, the pacing… it was all so freakin good. I could not put it down, and devoured it in a few hours.

What I loved;
✨ Twisty Thriller
✨ Addicting Who-Dun-It Mystery
✨ Heart Pounding Suspense
✨ Multiple POV’s

What a fun and wild ride! Absolutely would recommend. A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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If Something Happens to Me is a fast-paced thriller with a slightly more than first half that's filled with misdirection. The story is told primarily from three perspectives. Ryan Richardson, a law student remaking his life after he was the suspect in his high school girlfriend Allison's disappearance, Poppy McGee, a sheriff deputy in Ryan's home town of Leavenworth, Kansas, who only a few days into her new job is roped into the follow-up of finding Allison's car submerged in a local lake. The third POV is Shane O'Leary, a mobster in Philadelphia, whose connection to the other storylines finally becomes clear later in the book. Finlay writes a story that's compelling, feels like it could be real, and mostly stays away from creating storylines that are hard to believe. Ryan gets enough clues to believe that Ali isn't dead, a victim of the Missouri River Killer, as presumed for so many years, which means that if she is, her life could once again be in danger. He and Poppy begin their own separate, then joined race to try and find her, and shut the door on the events that led to her disappearance in the first place. This was a fun and quick read. There weren't necessarily a lot of moments that I couldn't see coming, but I still enjoyed the story. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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If something happens to me by Alex Finley

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! This book was a slow burn for me. Trying to figure out what characters were connected and why all the different key players in this was a little much.

A girl that is presumed dead, a big bad crime boss, and of course a law enforcement officer. The three different POVs were a little crazy but over all it was a good book.

The ending was intense and the book kept me intrigued till the end.

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Finished this mystery/action ARC in 3 days, so it kept my attention, but did I really love it? Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

The book is architected in short chapters that switch POV every time between 3 main locations and people: Poppy, a deputy sheriff in Kansas; Ryan a law student traveling in Europe with his student cohort; and a mobster in Philly. I personally would have preferred a little longer time with each character set to establish a deeper relationship with them.

The novel is centered around a crime established in the very beginning of the book: Ryan's true-love girlfriend was accosted from her car at a "lovers point" in a park in KS when with Ryan. Ryan wasn't prosecuted, so who did it and why? What happened to the girlfriend? It takes a good long while to figure out the connections between these people, and there are quite a few characters in each mini-story to keep track of.

While the story came together well, and moved at a good pace, I felt there were so many characters that the reader couldn't really get invested in any of them too deeply. I would have maybe preferred a more classic single narrator storyline with probably Poppy the lead, or even Ryan. Poppy seemed like a really interesting character to me! There were some key plot elements that seemed pretty unbelievable and didn't really pass the smell test for me. I won't give away which ones because every reader deserves to be surprised!

I don't really want to summarize the book as other reviewers have because I think it gives away too many of the reveals that Alex Finlay layers into the book. I know I'm in the minority for this book, but I rate it 3.5 stars.

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If you are a fan of Alex Finlay, this one is a must read for you. This was a really fun and fast thriller that kept me guessing the entire way through. This is a larger cast of characters with multiple POV's and I tend to read those a lot faster because if I put the book down for too long I will absolutely forget everything I just read.

In typically Finlay fashion, it was a ton of twists and turns and you never knew who to trust, but you were decently able to root for everyone. They were all like-able characters, even the mob boss, so it made it exciting to have people to root for.

Final thoughts: If you are a Finlay fan, or love twisty who-dun-its, this is the book for you!

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Wow such a great storyline. Not usually a fan of books where criminal enterprises are involved but this was well done. I also loved the ending but wonder “are Michael, Shane & Gina” really dead?? My suspicious side has me thinking of the possibilities.

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Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
This is a fast paced story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There are a lot of different characters in different parts of the world. You have to pay attention because each main character has a different story. I really enjoyed this book full of twists and turns.

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I’m not going to lie, everything you expect from a Finlay book is present in this one! A bit of intrigue, suspense, twists and turns, a bit of blood and gore, some good people, some bad, and some you’re unsure of. One thing I love is that when you start his books you never really know how everything is connected but slowly it is revealed!
3.5 stars rounded to 4 on GR.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Highly bingeable with one of my favorite tropes… multiple POVs that don't interconnect until midway through. I will say this book does require a certain level of suspension of disbelief, which is fine for me. If you go in accepting that, you’ll really enjoy the ride! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC!

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If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay was a totally solid and enjoyable thriller! This was actually just the read to get me out of my thriller slump. It was fast paced and kept me intrigued and guessing until the end. I enjoyed the different locations and groups of characters- my favorite part was probably learning how they were all intertwined. I also feel that there was just the right about of characters- not too many that I couldn’t keep track. This was my first read by Finlay, but I’m definitely up for another!

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Thank you to @netgalley and @StMartinsPress for this ARC. Three story lines of three different lives but in Part 2, you learn how they intersect. I verbally said "WHAT?". Can't say much more as to not give anything away. This book is good. #IfSomethingHappensToMe #AlexFinlay #May2024 #StMartinsPress

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I think it’s time for me to accept that I am not the right reader for Alex Finlay. I really enjoyed the first book of his I read but since then they haven’t worked for me and unfortunately this was very true here.

If Something Happens to Me has an interesting synopsis and I was very excited to dive in. However right from the start I didn’t like the structure - told in three alternating viewpoints in different places with different characters. And as it went along, this only got worse as many of the chapters ended with little cliffhangers and then cut to a different scene entirely. Once in a while, that’s fun! But as often as it happens here it was just annoying.

The actual story was over the top and just felt like summer blockbuster action movie scenes at times. This wasn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

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Oh well, everyone else seems to love this one, but I only loved part 1. Then, it turned into an international crime drama that I found hard to enjoy. Could see this as a Netflix movie. Thank you #netgalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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This one! It will have you hooked from the beginning not a slow read very fast paced. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers. Lots of twist, honesty had you second guessing at some times. The characters were also very good and fit perfectly into the story.

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There is a lot going on in this intense thriller - a cold case of a kidnapping reopened, the mob, an innocent man trying to find his old girlfriend and a young deputy trying to prove herself. When a car is pulled out of a lake with two dead men and a coded note that leads to a missing woman Poppy has her hands full with her first case. Meanwhile Ryan is in Italy where he sees a link to his past and is now searching for the girlfriend who was kidnapped years before.
Everything you want in a thriller - an intense chase for answers, well plotted storyline with twists and turns. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

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This is my favorite thriller from Alex Finlay 👏🏼 just like his other thrillers, If Something Happens To Me is full of different characters and multiple POVs. It took me a second at the beginning to get a hang of all the characters, but once I did, I couldn’t put this down!

I was so intrigued and was desperate to know how all of the characters eventually would connect. The chapters are short, so it was easy to binge.

ISHTM has murder, a missing girl, gangsters and so much more. It hooked me in and it was such a fun and wild ride. I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book when it publishes in May!

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Emoji Book Review: 😨😲🤯😨😏

⏰Short Review: A missing (presumably dead) girl, a crime family and a new deputy sheriff with demons of her own…
For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open, the crushing blow to the head, the hands yanking him from the vehicle, and his girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken. Ryan has finally moved on - now attending Georgetown Law on a school trip to Italy when he sees the man who attacked him. Ali’s car is found in a lake with the bodies of two dead men and cryptic note that only Ryan can understand. And somehow it all has to do with a crime family whose son is being bullied at a private academy. Enter Poppy McGhee the newest deputy on the force in Kansas who is leading this perplexing and intertwined investigation. There are secrets just waiting to be uncovered around every single bend.

⚡Thoughts: I mean honestly can Alex Finlay do no wrong?! I audibly gasped at the plot twist at the end of Part 1 and then I couldn’t put it down until I had all the answers. Finlay is finding his stride and he knows exactly how to write suspense that keeps you guessing until the very end. This book is no exception!

This author is becoming an auto read for me. He is crafting intricate narratives with convoluted twists and compelling characters that avid readers eagerly devour. I love a book that makes me gasp and leaves with eyes wide and my jaw on the floor - this book does exactly that at so many turns. It’s a quick moving plot that you’ll wish kept going and going.

📚Genre: Mystery/Suspense

📅Publish Date: May 28, 2024

Big thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for my advanced copy. 🥰

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I completely enjoyed this one as a quick, fun read. Short, fast-paced chapters featuring different characters in different parts of the world come together to explain what happened before and after a young woman went missing, and how the characters are related. Some moments you'll see coming, some will take you by surprise.

Thanks to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the advance copy!

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3 words or less review: Bangin’ good reading!

⏰ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫: Ryan Richardson is tormented from the night he was attacked and his girlfriend Ali was taken, never to be seen again. He’s moved on - now attending Georgetown Law and he’s on a school trip when he sees the man who attacked him. The man he tried to pretend was all in his imagination. And his father informs him Ali’s car was found in a lake - with the bodies of two dead men and a cryptic note that only Ryan can understand. Enter Poppie McGhee, newest deputy on the force in Kansas who is spearheading an investigation that’s baffling to the core. What happened to Ali? Who are the dead men? And what other secrets are buried in this town?

💡𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Ooooh this one is close to mystery perfection. Read closely because a mere blink and you’ll be going, “Wait… WHAT?” (True story) Because I read so much of the genre sometimes I worry I’m too picky but then a book comes along like this and I think, “See! THAT is how it’s done!”

My 3rd and favorite Finlay book. I think the author is finding his stride. He’s developing deep plots with intricate twists and poignant characters you bookishly sink your teeth into. Poppie McGhee is a character I’d like to see in a return novel or series. She’s young, spunky, determined, a spitfire that I’d love to follow on more adventures.

The plot is quick - read this like a dog lapping up water on a steamy Carolina summer day (that’s 2 days in Southern speak) and still wish it never ended.

📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mystery

😍𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: All the usual lovers-of-suspects, awesome beach/summer read

🙅‍♀️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: People who hate good books? Lol.. probably those who don’t like too much violence.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for making swimming in lakes now something I don’t care to do. 😬

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